Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • proper noun Judaism, Islam The eldest son of Abraham and his wife's handmaiden Hagar who were cast out after the birth of Isaac; traditionally the ancestor of the Arabs.
  • proper noun A male given name.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun (Old Testament) the son of Abraham who was cast out after the birth of Isaac; considered the forebear of 12 Arabian tribes
  • noun a person who is rejected (from society or home)

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Hebrew יִשְׁמָעֵאל (Ishmail), meaning: "God hears or obeys". Standard Yišmaʿel, Tiberian Yišmāʿêl; Arabic: إسماعيل, (Ismā'īl).

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Examples

  • Michael Winter might be tempted to use the name Ishmael for a character in his next novel.

    The Globe and Mail - Home RSS feed OLIVER MOORE 2011

  • As with Ahab and Ishmael, we encounter John Brown through the entranced observations of Owen, and, like Ishmael, Owen is essentially the last man standing (in Ishmael's case, swimming), surviving the raid on Harper's Ferry to, eventually, tell us the tale of what led up to this singular event.

    A Force of Nature 2009

  • Call me Ishmael is so well known I did not go with that one.

    Who was the sole survivor of the Pequod in Moby Dick? For extra pat on the back how did he survive? 2010

  • Call me Ishmael is so well known I did not go with that one.

    Who was the sole survivor of the Pequod in Moby Dick? For extra pat on the back how did he survive? 2010

  • As with Ahab and Ishmael, we encounter John Brown through the entranced observations of Owen, and, like Ishmael, Owen is essentially the last man standing (in Ishmael's case, swimming), surviving the raid on Harper's Ferry to, eventually, tell us the tale of what led up to this singular event.

    Historical Fiction 2010

  • As with Ahab and Ishmael, we encounter John Brown through the entranced observations of Owen, and, like Ishmael, Owen is essentially the last man standing (in Ishmael's case, swimming), surviving the raid on Harper's Ferry to, eventually, tell us the tale of what led up to this singular event.

    Point of View in Fiction 2009

  • As with Ahab and Ishmael, we encounter John Brown through the entranced observations of Owen, and, like Ishmael, Owen is essentially the last man standing (in Ishmael's case, swimming), surviving the raid on Harper's Ferry to, eventually, tell us the tale of what led up to this singular event.

    August 2009 2009

  • Eleven-year-old Ishmael is living in the small village of Mogbwemo, Sierra Leone, as the story begins.

    A Long Way Gone (copy) ____Maggie 2007

  • Eleven-year-old Ishmael is living in the small village of Mogbwemo, Sierra Leone, as the story begins.

    Archive 2007-10-01 ____Maggie 2007

  • Eid al-Adha, which celebrates Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael, is about more than family gatherings and holy introspection.

    Instability makes holiday treats a little less sweet 2007

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